Digital Bearing Compass vs TargetNavigator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Digital Bearing Compass
This augmented reality app helps pilots, sailors, and outdoor adventurers determine true and magnetic bearings to objects. It displays current position, altitude, and allows setting fixes on a map for navigation. Advanced features include measuring angles between objects and performing cross-bearings.
- Augmented reality bearing display
- Map view with fix setting
- Distance and bearing to fix
- Angle measurement between objects
- Cross-bearing functionality
- Day/night mode
- Customizable units and coordinate formats
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Transform your iPhone or iPad into a high-precision bearing compass. Use Augmented Reality (AR) for instant cross bearings, position fixing, and distance calculations—100% offline, subscription-free, and fully private. Are you a pilot, sailor or an outdoor adventurer ? Then the Digital Bearing Compass augmented reality app will be a valuable tool for you. Aim at objects in sight and directly read the true and magnetic bearing. Then you can check your bearings on the map. In addition, the current position, including the altitude above sea level is displayed. Or you can set a fix in the map view. Bearing and distance to the fix is constantly computed. In the camera view, the difference angle between current bearing and the fix is also displayed. There is also a red marker at the location of the fix in camera view displayed by augmented reality technology. Since version 3.x you can also set a mark on the current location. This mark is also displayed in the camera view. The app shows the distance and bearing to this marked location. By taking 2 bearings or by using the fix, you can measure the angle between 2 points or objects ... if you are a sailor or yachtsman, you know what you can do with this information. You can use them directly for navigation, since this corresponds to the functionality of a sextant. You can also use trigonometry to determine the size of a distant object. By getting 2 bearings you can also apply the method of cross bearing directly. The bearings are automatically saved, so they will be available when you start the app the next time. Benefits: - The App uses the high-tech sensors of your iPhone or iPad to measure orientation, device and declination (the angle between the direction to Geographic North and Magnetic North, pilots call it variation). - Augmented reality technology, available since iOS 11. The app will also be continuously improved, further developed and equipped with new features. - You can switch between camera mode and map mode. - The angle between 2 points or objects can be measured. - A fix can be set in map view which is shown also in camera view. - You can set a mark on the actual position. This mark is also displayed in the camera view. - The position and direction of the bearings and the fix are drawn in the map. - This way a cross bearing is possible. - day/night mode - you can choose between different coordinate formats - you can choose between different distance and altitude units - the cardinal directions are shown in the camera view No matter if you are a pilot, seal, scientist, astronomer, technician, geographer or outdoor athlete, you will find the app extremely valuable for your orientation and navigation. And it is fun. Please note that some sensors require a time to calibrate. Sometimes it might be the case that after starting the app, for a few seconds a wrong direction will be displayed. The camera should be moved slowly back and forth in this case so that the device can perform the calibration. The app needs the permission to use the GPS. No data will be sent from the app to the outside world. The app also uses augmented reality, a brand new technology which is supported only by the newest devices. You need at least an iPhone 6s or later, an iPad pro 2nd generation or later, or an iPad 2017 or later. Future devices will all support augmented reality.
TargetNavigator
Navigate to your chosen destination using a simple compass and bearing. This app provides real-time location data, weather, and celestial information. It also allows for saving custom locations, recording tracks, and exporting them as GPX files.
- Simple compass with bearing navigation
- Real-time location, altitude, and speed
- Target location weather and celestial data
- Save and restore custom locations
- Record and export tracks as GPX
- Night mode and customizable display
- Open Apple Maps for directions
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TargetNavigator - Simple Compass - Use bearing to find your way to selected target location - Comes with night mode - Shows the current location, altitude, speed and slope angle indicator - Shows the target location, weather, temperature, air pressure, sunrise and sunset - Shows either metric or imperial units - Will store last target location and reload after new start, so you don't need to let it run but could also stop and re-run later - Tap on target location will center map on target location - Double tap on target location to enter target location coordinates manually - Tap on current location will center map on current location - Store custom locations on iCloud - Restore target locations from saved locations - Long press button to save current location as target location - Long press button to reverse geocode the current location (street address, zip, city, country, iso code, timezone, daylight saving and latitude, longitude) - Reverse geocoded address will be copied to clipboard so that one can paste it in another document, mail, message, etc. - Open Apple Maps to get directions to target location - Search for locations and move map to selected location - Show estimated time to target location when walking or taking the car - Show the the current position of the sun - Show sunrise and sunset time for current location or overlay the hours of the day (0-23) with their current locations - Visualize angle range of daylight, show blue and golden hours - Show current moon location - Save photos that contain the coordinates, date, time and direction of view - Record a track - Export a recorded track as GPX file - Import a formerly recorded track from the GPX file - Show track on map - Show information like distance, top speed and elevation for track - Show speed/distance diagram of track - Get information about sunrise/sunset, blue hours, golden hours and moon rise/set for the current location - Has live activity that shows current distance of recorded track and time, during recording - Indicate gps signal strength - Dim night mode to your needs - Choose a simple indicator if needed
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: TargetNavigator at Free against Digital Bearing Compass's $3.99. Digital Bearing Compass's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (13 vs 1). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
TargetNavigator is free to download; Digital Bearing Compass costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Digital Bearing Compass holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Digital Bearing Compass has 13 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Digital Bearing Compass ships an update every 2 weeks, TargetNavigator fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Digital Bearing Compass | TargetNavigator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (13 ratings) — better | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thomas Oswald | Gerrit Grunwald |
Customer experience
Digital Bearing Compass
TargetNavigator
In-app purchases
Digital Bearing Compass
No in-app purchases
TargetNavigator
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Digital Bearing Compass free?
Is TargetNavigator free?
Which has better reviews, Digital Bearing Compass or TargetNavigator?
Do Digital Bearing Compass or TargetNavigator have ads?
Which is updated more often, Digital Bearing Compass or TargetNavigator?
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